On Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:01:09 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
> wrote:

>In article >,
> George Shirley > wrote:
>
>> Hokay, had to go get a package out of the pantry. Here's the USAGE TIPS:
>> Use with the highest quality pickling cucumbers and other vegetables.
>> Use only as an ingredient in a pickle recipe. Store in a dry area to
>> prevent clumping.
>>
>> Package also says - makes it easy to crisp fresh-pack pickles and
>> pickled vegetables and eliminates the mess of a pickling lime presoak.
>>
>> Two ways to Use:
>>
>> 1) Prepare recipe as instructed.
>> 2)Pack cucumbers or other vegetables into jars.
>> 3) Add Pickle Crisp Powder (1 1/2 teaspoon per quart jar and 3/4
>> teaspoon per pint jar) You can figure it out for half pints, etc. I
>> don't do math anymore, it makes my head hurt.
>(remainder snipped)
>
>I like this idea -- adding to the jar instead of soaking.

Just did some on-line checking for Pickle Crisp and it's not listed on
the Canadian site (Bernardin). It's still listed on the US site but,
when I follow any link to a retailer, it says the product has been
discontinued. One site still had the price listed as $2.29 per
package, and each package contains three 26 gram envelopes. That's
over 76 cents per 26 grams. Man! that some expensive calcium chloride!
When I was doing a lot of home brewing I used calcium chloride in my
mash and you can buy it at many beer and wine making supply shops.
Here's one for USAians http://morebeer.com/
They do a large amount of mailorder. At More Beer, CaCl2 is priced at
$4.50 per pound, plus shipping. That's about 1/3 the price of the
Ball/Kerr stuff with the fancy-schmancy packaging.

Ross.